The Thirteenth Order
by theDarkestZero
Summary: The Organization was created for one purpose, and Xemnas hides that purpose from the rest of the Organization. Get to know our favorite group of thirteen better by seeing what went on in the Organization before their downfall. -Mostly a series of one-shots; only a few really connect-
1. Organization

**Alright! This fic is all about the Organization! It's a series of one-shots centering the infamous original Organization XIII. Let's hope this can free me from my writer's block! Don't consider this too canon because some things** ** _can_** **happen that will go against what happens in canon; ex. There is no Xion here. There's no telling how long this fic will be. It could go over a hundred or stay at thirteen…I have no idea. Characters can be slightly out of character. WELL ANYWAY, let's get into this!**

 **.**

 **Organization**

Xemnas sat on his high throne in the circular room known as Where Nothing Gathers. He smiled as he intertwined his gloved fingers, thinking about how perfect it was that he was the leader of the infamous Organization XIII. He tried to hold back laughter but was unable to do so. Putting his hands on the arms of his throne, the Superior of the In-Between flung his head back and began laughing in a purely evil sort of way, the sound of his maniacal laughter echoing off of the nonexistent walls surrounding the Round Room. Sure, he was a Nobody. But he still felt a shadow of his old self lingering in his heart. That's right. He had a heart despite being a Nobody. He couldn't allow his Organization to know that they too can regrow their hearts. That would change his entire game plan. A recipe for disaster.

He wiped the smirk from his face as Saix appeared in his seat via a corridor of darkness. Looking up at Xemnas with a cold stare, Saix said in his raspy voice, "I've called forth a meeting, as per your request, Lord Xemnas." Xemnas was an expert at hiding his true emotions. He was smiling on the inside. It made him feel powerful, seeing how obedient his seventh member was. The Lunar Diviner was his second-in-command and would do anything Xemnas asked. "Care to tell me what this meeting is about?"

"All will be explained when the others arrive," Xemnas said in his monotonous voice, intertwining his fingers once more.

And soon they did. Appearing next was Xigbar, crossing a leg over his knee as he sat, an impatient hand tapping his fingers on the arm of his seat. Glancing up at Xemnas he said, "How many meetings are we gonna have before the end of the week? As if anything is _this_ important." Xemnas stared calmly ahead without acknowledging Xigbar. The Freeshooter sighed and put a fist under his chin and closed his eyes in annoyance. "Wake me when this thing ends." Despite his attitude towards the other members and the meetings Xemnas organizes each day, he still remained extremely loyal to Xemnas and was even the Superior's right-hand man.

Then the others started appearing, Xemnas's eyes never leaving the thirteenth chair directly across from him. Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Axel, Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, and finally Roxas were all seated. The seats to the left of Xemnas belonged to the odd numbered members, and to his right are the even numbered members, increasing in numerical value up until number XIII. Roxas was his most recent member. Roxas, the thirteenth, looked down with no emotion. Finally he gazed up and he and Xemnas held eye contact for only but a second, and the Key of Destiny could have sworn he saw the corner of the Superior's mouth twitching as if Xemnas was holding back a smirk.

Xemnas moved his gaze from Roxas and began eyeing the entire room. This was _his_ Organization. He _owned_ them. And he had finally reached thirteen members, the first step in his ultimate goal that much of the members had not been aware of. "Members of the Organization," he began, fighting off the urge to call it ' _my Organization_ '. "As you know by now we are working towards the goal of obtaining Kingdom Hearts and retrieving what we've lost ages ago. Our hearts." Xigbar opened his eyes and smirked up at Xemnas, chuckling to himself at Xemnas's lies to the rest of the Organization. If Xemnas had told the Organization that they could regrow their lost hearts, the members would try and most likely succeed. He couldn't have that. "And we are able to do just that. The Heartless will fall and their hearts will gather to create the massive Kingdom."

"I don't see the point of obtaining our hearts," Xaldin said. "We're much stronger without. We have no emotions holding us back. So why?" The Whirlwind Lancer looked up questioningly at Xemnas.

Xemnas answered, "The heart holds massive amounts of power. With our hearts, we will be unstoppable. We will be whole again." Xemnas kept his smirk hidden. He knew the truth. These members… _his_ members…were just pawns. They were never going to get their hearts back. He had to make sure of it.

"Does anyone have any questions for Lord Xemnas?" Saix asked, looking around at the other members.

"How about: _when the hell can we leave_?" Xigbar replied and snorted with laughter. "There. I just asked a question. Anybody else who would like to join the bandwagon?"

"So what shall we do _following_ the retrieval of our hearts?" Vexen asked. The Chilly Academic ran his black gloved fingers through his long platinum-blonde hair and scratched the back of his neck. "Do you intend on letting us leave the Organization if we so wish?"

Xemnas had no intention of letting any of them go. He trained his eyes on Vexen and told him, "You will have freedom, just you wait. But until then you shall remain loyal to the Organization. If not, we can never obtain our hearts. Is that understood, Number IV?"

Vexen seemed to shrink back into his seat, which made Xemnas smile on the inside. He knew that members such as Vexen feared him. It was only natural. Xemnas was the only one capable of helping them obtain their long-lost hearts…or so they thought. Going against him would mean losing that opportunity. It wouldn't make a difference either way. Xemnas had a plan.

"I haven't been in this Organization all that long," came the accented voice of Luxord. The Gambler of Fate held a card with the Nobody Emblem on it in between his index and middle fingers, and then made it vanish in a blur of black and white. "I've only been in a handful of these meetings, so I haven't a clue on what you all have talked about. Lesser members such as myself…we haven't the slightest idea on what went on in this Organization before our arrival. How can we _really_ trust you?"

Xemnas had to think about that one. Luxord had doubts, as any new member would have. Xemnas spoke in a calm voice, "True, you can't trust me, or anyone else in this Organization before you. But being part of a team means having faith in those around you. You _have_ to trust us to make this Organization its finest. Surely you can understand that?" It was a flat-out lie. They _shouldn't_ be trusting Xemnas. He had an ulterior motive. But reluctantly, Luxord nodded.

"Well, I'll be honest here," Demyx said, in a rather bored tone. He held a fist to his cheek and rested like that, his eyes slowly drooping as if he couldn't stay awake. "I can't remember much about that day, but when I found myself alone and without my heart, one of these ever so kind members took me in and put food on my table, gave me a place to sleep. I _love_ getting sleep, so these guys did a good deed. Thank you, whoever found me!" With that statement, the Melodious Nocturne slammed the back of his head against the headboard of his seat, seemingly on the verge of passing out.

Xemnas couldn't help but let a smile escape his façade. Demyx wouldn't need any push to become loyal. He owed the Organization for finding him. If he could pull his own weight, he'd be a perfect vessel. He thought he could hear Demyx snoring. His smirk dropped. Then again, someone this lazy wasn't exactly fit to be a pawn in Xemnas's plan.

Xemnas heard the clearing of someone's throat, and the Silent Hero spoke. "Demyx is correct," came Lexaeus's gruff yet silent voice. "I will serve this Organization as long as it keeps me alive." Xemnas liked Lexaeus. A man of few words, intelligent as well, but would be willing to do the Superior's bidding.

"I second that," Zexion suddenly spoke. He looked as if he had been waiting for a turn to speak. The Cloaked Schemer held a gloved hand over his mouth and said, "Though I must ask, how much freedom do we have within this Organization?" Xemnas arched an eyebrow. "Do we always have to be at your beck and call or do we get some time to ourselves?" His weapon, a book of all things, appeared in his lap and he opened it to read, studying the page as well as trying to hear what Xemnas had to say.

"Fellow members," the Superior spoke to all of them. "You powerful Nobodies are not slaves. Sure, you'll have to get your hands dirty at some point, but after each mission you have free reign to do whatever you want. Travel to any world, sightsee, et cetera." He was half-lying. Yes, he'd let the other members go wherever they wanted. But Dusks are stationed throughout the worlds to keep a lookout and report back to Xemnas on anything that happens concerning his members. "Number VI, if you wanted to, after your mission, you could even spend the whole day reading to your heart's content."

Zexion raised his head from the book in his lap. Xemnas had gotten Zexion's attention and full allegiance for sure. He was the youngest of the original six members, and probably the hardest of them to fool, but it seemed like Zexion was now completely under Xemnas's spell. He went back to reading.

The Round Room was quiet for a while. Xigbar broke the silence by yelling, "Flamsilocks would like to go next!" Xemnas looked down on Axel, the redheaded member. Normally Axel had something to say about anything and everything. But for some reason he was quiet during this meeting. Instead of speaking, Xemnas saw Axel's gaze was fixated upon Roxas. The two of them had formed a bond, unlike any Xemnas had ever seen. Xemnas would have to shatter that bond. He felt a glimmer of light sparking within Axel. He couldn't allow Axel to be one of the first members to regrow their hearts. "Hey, Axel!" Xigbar screamed out with a smile.

The Flurry of Dancing Flames had his arms crossed as his eyes darted from Roxas to Xigbar. "Actually, I do have a question for you." A smirk played across his lips. "Do you know how much I hate pirates?" Xigbar's smile dropped. "A lot. Get it memorized, cyclops."

Xigbar slammed his forehead with his gloved palm. "I don't like this guy. He's mean. Can he be the first member you turn into a Dusk?" Xigbar asked in a whiney voice. One of Xemnas's main threats he ever used was that he would turn a member into a Dusk if they misbehaved. He had never done so before, so at the moment, it was just an empty threat. But it still scared a lot of the members to be turned into the lowest form of Nobody.

"Members of the same team should not hate each other," Xemnas said, though he probably would have hated each and every one of these guys if they weren't meant to be vessels.

Axel tried to argue, but Saix, having been quiet for a long time now, snapped at him, "Silence. Not everyone has had a moment to speak."

"I'll be the next one, then," Marluxia said. He was the first guy Xemnas had ever seen sporting pink hair, but to be honest, he saw that Marluxia was indeed strong, although being a lesser member. From what Xemnas had seen, he was deadly on the battlefield, and a force to be reckoned with. He left behind all of his violent tendencies when he was within the presence of the Organization. The Graceful Assassin said as straight-forward as he could, "Why exactly are you, Xemnas, our leader? Why not someone as equally intimidating, like Saix or even Xigbar? Why not me?"

This was the thing Xemnas hated about Marluxia. He'd always argue with the Superior. He'd always ask that same exact question. His voice was calm, cool, and collected, but he had a sharp tongue waiting to snap at Xemnas any chance he got. Xemnas scowled at the man's foolishness, "I founded this Organization, Number XI. Not Saix, nor Xigbar, nor you." Xemnas was clenching his teeth and balling his hands into fists at his sides. He slowly eased up and released his fists. He had to keep his anger under control. "Next?" he demanded.

"Don't get mad at Marly," Larxene said. Another one Xemnas didn't like. She always sided with Marluxia. The two of them, the lowest members besides the thirteenth, had to be watched even closer. On one hand, Xemnas was amused by their attempts to undermine the Superior and act, well, superior. But it also infuriated him that two feckless neophytes would have the nerve to even dare speak against him. "It was just an honest question." She looked around the room. "To hell with this Organization." An even sharper tongue. Larxene seemed all innocent and pouty when she crossed her arms and sunk back into her seat, but Xemnas saw how she acted away from his presence. She was an absolute nightmare and gave some of the members nightmares. Xemnas quit worrying about her.

He instead looked straight ahead to his thirteenth member. His final member. The one to complete the puzzle that was the Organization XIII. Roxas had been quiet the entire time. He looked up and his eyes once again met Xemnas's. Xemnas had even recently seen Roxas's _somebody_ which even still lived despite Roxas's existence. This boy was a special case. To work more towards the Superior's advantage was the key-shaped sword that was Roxas's weapon. It was the only thing to slay the Heartless and release hearts in order to create Kingdom Hearts.

"Roxas, number XIII…" Xemnas spoke in a calm, yet deep and overpowering voice. Roxas perked his ears up as he glared daggers at Xemnas. Xemnas wasn't sure why, but Roxas seemed to hardly trust the Superior. "Before I adjourn this meeting, do you have any questions to ask?"

"So, I…" Roxas started, but then hung his head down. Xemnas waved his hand in the air as if to say ' _go on_ '. "So I can go eat ice cream after my missions?" Roxas's pure innocence actually made the Superior smile, something that both Xigbar and Saix had both spotted. Xemnas caught their stares and immediately put on his best blank expression. Xemnas nodded with eyes closed, and he could hear Roxas heave a sigh of relief.

"The meeting is over," Xemnas said, waving a hand through the air, and Saix stood up in his seat. "Thank you for your time, fellow members. I know that thirteen of us together is quite a lot, but we will learn to live together." He looked to Saix. "Get their missions ready, Number VII." Saix nodded and vanished with a corridor of darkness. After his leave, each member began teleporting out of Where Nothing Gathers one by one, the last one to go being Roxas. All that remained were Xemnas and Xigbar, numbers I and II. "You haven't left yet. Why?"

"Gotta be more careful next time, Mister Master," Xigbar said, standing up in his seat as he scratched the back of his neck, Xemnas wincing at what Xigbar had just called him. "Gotta be careful not to show your emotions too often. They might start to think that you actually have a heart."

"I won't lose control, Xigbar," Xemnas said with an evil smile. He chuckled a bit. "The members of this Organization will grow to be loyal to me." He snapped his fingers and the temperature in the room seem to drop quite a bit. Xigbar nodded and in a flurry of darkness he vanished. Xemnas was left alone. Xemnas's eyes grew wide with excitement. He had most of the members on his side. That was good enough for him. He let out a good long laugh that cut through the silence of the Round Room.

Smiling, he himself vanished into a corridor of darkness, leaving the Round Room empty.

 **.**

 **How did you like this chapter? This was more of an introduction, introducing the Organization XIII members. I like the idea of Xemnas suppressing his emotions like this, and the thought of him trying his hardest to stop the others from regrowing their hearts. The rest of the chapters will center the entire Organization in a variety of missions, settings, etc. that will have adventure, excitement, drama, comedy, a little fluff-ness, etc. I hope you enjoy this series of tales.**


	2. Flirtation

**Flirtation**

Larxene was bitter. She was depressed. She wanted some more _excitement_ in her life. What _was_ her life now? She lay in her bed with her feet on her pillow and her head hanging off of the edge, calming herself as she let the blood flow to her head, the two strands of blonde sticking up from her hair touching the carpeted floor of her bedroom. She wanted to cry. She admitted that to herself. But that would mean showing her own emotions, which she knew she couldn't do. She'd be yelled at by Saix… _again_ …just for showing even the slightest bit of emotion. So she'd cover up her sadness and replace it with a totally cruel and sadistic personality.

But still she thought about her life before. She was living with her mother and her rich step-father and her two younger step-twin brothers. She was the popular girl at school everyone both admired and feared. She had a boyfriend for every week of the month and she was just smart enough to get a passing grade. Everything had been perfect; just the way she wanted it. But that all changed when the Heartless attacked. Her friends lay dead at her feet, staining her shoes with blood. She could feel the pain as her heart was being gruesomely ripped from her chest. There was a moment when she saw a light, and then darkness, and then she was staring up at the face of Xigbar. That was when her life changed forever.

Tears veiled her eyes. She viciously rubbed them away as she sat up in her bed and slapped herself hard across the face with her gloved hand. She stepped off of her bed and slipped into her heeled boots. She decided that she couldn't just sit around and do literally _nothing_ all day. Any time she felt her suppressed emotions flooding back to the surface of her nonexistent heart, she masked it with a sadistic smirk. Smiling, she exited her bedroom.

Not long after she shut the door behind her, she immediately heard footsteps to her right. "What? Could the Wicked Witch not get her beauty sleep?" It was Axel. One of her least favorite Organization members. Axel grinned as he approached her, leaning his back against Larxene's bedroom door and crossing his arms. "Saix has the two of us assigned to the same mission. Looks like we're partners, Blondie."

Larxene put her hands on her hips and turned her back to Axel, scowling at the redhead's stupidity. "You know I hate partnerships." She began walking down the hallway before stopping again and turning to look back at Axel. "And I hate you." Axel had a fake expression of hurt on his face. Larxene sighed in exasperation. "Which world have we been assigned to today?"

Axel's face lit up as he immediately said, "That'd be…Port Royal." Larxene arched an eyebrow at this mysterious world she had never even heard of. "Port Royal…it's a dark world covered mostly by sea. The most used method of transportation there are boats, you know, to travel the seas. Oh, and they have pirates."

 _Great_ , Larxene thought. _I have enough to deal with with Xigbar around, and now I'm going to a world with actual pirates_. "Yay," Larxene said with no enthusiasm. "So when do we set sail for this new world?"

Axel chuckled. "Haha, set sail, I get it. Pirate puns." Larxene wasn't laughing. "I don't wanna get an angry glare from Saix, again, so we'll head over there from here." He held a hand out and the mysterious dark passageway, the corridor of darkness, appeared before him against the wall next to Larxene's bedroom. Axel held a hand out towards the dark corridor and said, "Ladies first."

Larxene pushed her palm into Axel's chest and pushed him into the corridor of darkness. Before Axel could protest, he was already gone and flying through the darkness of space to the Port Royal. Larxene growled to herself. She could think of at least nine other members she'd rather be going to Port Royal with. Axel would be her absolute, without a doubt, last-resort choice. Coming from around the corner of the hallway was maybe her second-to-last choice.

Marluxia came strolling in almost elegantly. Not a day went by that she didn't insult him and his pink hair. "Saix will be mad at you for not checking with him first before going to whatever world this is." Larxene wasn't particularly fond of Marluxia. She didn't like the way he walked, or his pink hair, or anything, really. The only thing they had in common was their distrust and disloyalty of the Superior. "Then he'll go to the Superior like the little puppy he is and complain. Xemnas might get furious."

"Isn't that the point, Marly?" Larxene asked with a snicker. Marluxia smirked. The two were on the same page. They _loved_ getting the Superior furious. "Be back in, well, whenever." Larxene dashed into the corridor of darkness with lightning speed, leaving Marluxia alone in the hallway.

One of the perks about being a Nobody was that she was able to traverse through space in portals known as the _Corridors of Darkness_. Once she would enter the dark portal, it felt like she was being whisked away in some kind of roller coaster. Well, one without a seat or a seatbelt or anything keeping her tied down. If she had the name of the world in mind, the portal should take her there. As she laid down on her back as she enjoyed the ride, the wind whipping at her hair and the cold air stinging at her face, she thought about what kind of world she'd be going to now. She thought about how she could possibly handle Axel. Her least favorite member.

Then suddenly, the wind stopped and she was standing upright. She stood in the center of the dark doorway to space. She took a few steps and exited the mysterious portal, the darkness vanishing behind her. Axel was standing only three feet in front of where she stood. Where she was at now was a dark and dank place. The sky was black, with few stars and a full moon illuminating the darkness of the night.

They stood on some sort of dock. Feet in front of Axel was the edge. One step off that and you'd find yourself plummeting into the cold sea water below. "I've been here once or twice before. I've only seen two ships come here though. The same two ships."

"Interesting, interesting," Larxene said with, well, no interest. Whatsoever. "What's the mission here? We can't be here just to admire the scenery."

"Actually, that's exactly what we're doing," Axel said with a smirk.

"Come again?"

Axel shook his head in a disappointing manner, as if he were talking to a child. "We're here to do recon. Get a feel for this world. Then we report back and tell Saix everything we can—if he doesn't have that angry look like he always does."

"You wanna run that by me again?" Larxene asked.

"Well, I really hate Saix's glares—"

"Not that, stupid," Larxene grumbled, feeling that now _she_ was the one speaking to a child. "You didn't do recon the first or second time you came here? Wouldn't it make sense that that's the _first_ thing you do when visiting a world?"

Axel let out an awkward laugh and replied, "There was, a, um, Heartless outbreak."

"You mean like a Shadow or two."

The two members stood staring at them for quite some time. Larxene couldn't really read Axel. He never gave away what his emotions or intents were. He seemed like a firecracker. Calm one minute then hot and fiery the next and then he'd change back to normal after a while. Axel smiled again when Larxene didn't say any more. This is exactly why Larxene couldn't read Axel. Larxene was practically insulting Axel to his face every minute of every day that she saw him, and then Axel would smile. What the hell was wrong with him!?

And then Larxene heard the sound of gunshots. Ground cracked at her feet as it was blasted away by bullets. She saw that Axel had already brought out his Chakrams, his Frisbee shaped weapons. In between each of her fingers appeared her knife-like weapons. She loved sharp objects. They made her happy. She looked ahead to see some kind of battle taking place mere yards away from them. Well, it wasn't much of a battle.

There was one man. Ahead of him were about five guys, all dressed to look like what Larxene could only guess were pirates. The man being harassed by these pirates held out a gun at them. But one gun couldn't possibly help him against five pirates who each either held a sword or a gun of their own. Off to the side, pressed against a building with a pirate holding a knife to her neck, was the only female there.

"Will, be careful!" the woman shouted out, before being silenced by the man's hand over her mouth.

The man being harassed was named Will. Larxene was unsure of what to make of the scene before her. She was taught by the Organization not to make herself known to any of the residents within any of the worlds. Her old, human self would have either ran away in fear, or tried to step in and help these poor people. But her Nobody self…had to be emotionless. She couldn't be sad if any of these guys ended up dead.

"Do not harm Miss Swann!" Will said, his hand shaking with the gun pointed at all five of the men in front of him. Will closed his eyes. Larxene thought she saw Will ease up a little. And then the gun in his hand trained on the pirate with a knife at "Miss Swann's" throat. And a bullet was fired. It pierced through the skull of the pirate. The menacing pirate fell to the ground, dead, as Miss Swann ran away from the building.

"You'll pay for this, Turner," growled one of the front pirates. "You'll pay!"

Axel and Larxene dismissed their weapons. Axel had a pained look on his face, as if he were struggling through the whole spectacle to not jump in and save them himself. Larxene could see how shaken up he was. If she had a heart, she would care. But she was told to dismiss her emotions. So instead she laughed. "Seen enough, Axel?"

"Yeah," Axel said, his face going from pale to his normal color.

Before he summoned another Corridor of Darkness, Miss Swann had approached Will. "Elizabeth," Will said in greeting. _Elizabeth_. "Are you alright?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I-I think so." The two embraced in a hug.

Larxene couldn't believe she was actually witnessing this. She wanted to barf. If she, a _nobody,_ couldn't go to other worlds and start dating, then these two _somebodies_ couldn't just start hugging. She wanted to throw each and every one of her knives at them. Axel seemed to sense Larxene's frustration and stopped her by hugging her from behind to stop and immobilize her.

"Ha," Axel whispered. "One of us finally gets to touch the Wicked Witch." Larxene growled. "You never let anyone make physical contact with you. This is nice." Larxene growled again, this time letting an electrical charge escape her body to enter the body of Axel. He quickly jumped away from Larxene and shook for a moment before saying, "What was that?"

"You idiot," Larxene growled. "Your flirting won't work on me. Shocking, isn't it?"

"Look at how happy those two are to see that they're safe and sound," Axel said with a smile. Larxene looked to Will and Elizabeth, the two of them walking off with their arms intertwined. She could hear them talking and see them smiling. It disgusted her. "Do you ever think _we'll_ end up like that?" Larxene elbowed him in his gut, and as soon as her skin made contact with him, an electrical charge was sent from her to throughout his body. Axel jumped away from her and conjured a corridor of darkness directly behind him. "Come on, babe!" Larxene kicked him into the corridor.

Larxene shook her head in anger. What was his problem!? She entered the corridor and made sure she'd exit _away_ from the flaming haired doofus. She appeared in the Grey Area, their sort of lounge room. She made sure to appear on the opposite side of the room in a separate corridor. Once she exited, she smiled at the site of Axel flying through his own corridor and almost crashing into Saix, courtesy of the kick Larxene gave him a few moments ago.

Larxene dismissed her corridor and noticed Marluxia who stood against the wall with his arms crossed. "Did the journey go well?"

"I really hate Axel," Larxene said, biting her lower lip.

"You and that final member, Roxas, haven't been here for long," Marluxia said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, maybe a few weeks ago," Larxene said, smiling slightly that she could talk with someone other than Axel. Even if she did kinda dislike Marluxia herself. "So, Pinky? How did you come to be in this Organization? What makes you so special?"

"It wasn't anything different from how you were first joined," Marluxia answered. "My dad and my brothers all died at the hands of the Heartless. My heart was ripped from my chest. Xigbar and Xaldin had found me." He hung his head down and looked at the ground. "This castle is really boring with that infuriating _Superior_ running this place. Oh, how I loathe Xemnas."

"I hear ya," Larxene said, leaning against the wall next to Marluxia and crossing her arms. "And this _heart_ that we're all trying to gain back…is it really worth it?" Larxene had never ever shown her true feelings to anyone. Maybe Marluxia was the perfect person— _Nobody—_ to start with. "The heart only brings pain—and suffering—to a Nobody like me. I don't need mine back."

"That is true," Marluxia replied. "Xemnas says we'll gain great powers once we regain our lost hearts. But truth is…we are better off not regaining those accursed hearts." Larxene smirked. She was beginning to like this pink haired guy. "I'd love to be the Superior of this Organization. I'd be more powerful than Xemnas can ever hope to be. You seem like you could be an amazing second-in-command."

"Far better than Xigbar or Saix ever could be," Larxene said, licking her lips in excitement. She got herself carried away and wrapped her arms around Marluxia's arms. But she didn't care. She had a plan. "Let's take this Organization," she whispered in Number XI's ear.

The two of them said as one, "Together."

 **.**

 **How'd you like this new installment in** ** _The Thirteenth Order_** **? So here we learn Larxene's backstory, we have a few moments with Axel and Larxene, Axel flirting with Larxene but getting shot down big time, and then we have Marluxia and Larxene formulating their plan to take over. I hope you enjoyed! HOPEFULLY I won't wait too long until the next episode, but don't hate me if it's another whole month.**


	3. Experimentation

**Experimentation**

The only time Zexion ever felt at home within the Organization was when he sat in the castle's library and read to his heart's content. He loved reading. It was his hobby. It took his mind off of things. He sat at a table in the center of the room. Each of the four walls surrounding him were covered in shelves containing nearly every book stolen from Wise Ansem's library back in Radiant Garden. Xemnas truly was a creep. He banished Ansem to a realm of pure darkness, killed the other apprentices and turned their _Nobodies_ into the Organization XIII, and stole all of these books. And then to make up for what he did, he replaced all of the books with replicas. Zexion smirked as he turned a page of a book he was reading. Xemnas was so naïve. The Superior thought nobody would notice the replicated books.

Zexion did. After most of his missions he'd sneak off to Radiant Garden before heading back to the castle to read. Going back there he'd examined how far the world had come after his leave from it years ago. Being within the castle walls of his previous master's castle brought back sickening memories. The final apprentice, _Xehanort_ , had fooled all but Zexion, when Zexion still went by the name, Ienzo.

Despite Ienzo's young age at the time, he saw things the other apprentices didn't. He saw secret meetings between Xehanort and Braig, he heard arguments between Xehanort and Ansem, he noticed the tension throughout the world that others did not. The day came that Ansem was banished. Xehanort and Braig had devised that plan. They convinced Dilan to join them in their mission. Even and Aeleus refused at first, but something changed. Eventually they helped out in the long run. After conducting a certain experiment, Ansem had been banished to the dark realm and Xehanort took things over.

Xehanort and Braig became nobodies. Dilan soon followed. Even and Aeleus caught on to what was happening and found a hiding spot for little Ienzo, and the two went to try and stop Xehanort from his devious plot. It didn't take long before Ienzo realized that those two would not be coming back as their original selves. All seemed lost for Ienzo but Lea and Isa had snuck into the castle to save them. Lea demanded that Isa would take Ienzo outside and safe from harm. Isa couldn't argue with the redhead because Lea had already left to find Xehanort. Isa took Ienzo outside of the castle, but Xehanort was already there. Ienzo was knocked out cold. When he woke up, he was laying across the floor of the laboratory, the other apprentices as well as Isa and Lea there as well.

Zexion got carried away on his voyage through memory lane that a tear started forming in his eye, dripping down and falling off of his nose, hitting the book and getting absorbed by the page he had been on for the past twenty minutes. He hated how well he could memorize things. He'd be reading and the memories would come back. He'd black out for twenty minutes and then snap back to reality.

He shut his book. He grabbed another book from his lap and opened it up as he laid it on the table. The book was bound in leather. Written in cursive in the book were the thoughts and feelings Zexion held deep inside. Xemnas had Saix give everyone a journal or diary to write their thoughts on. Zexion hardly used that. He'd use this one. He had recovered it a few months ago in the castle's library behind a bookshelf. He had written in over half of this diary as a child. The other half was left to his Nobody half. He wrote about his mission that day and the constant reminder of the day he became a Nobody.

He stood up abruptly and walked to the bookshelf on the far wall. He took out a thick book that consisted of over a thousand pages. It was one of Wise Ansem's masterpieces, written by the man himself. It told of the heart, of the light and darkness and the mysterious _Keyblade War_. This was the one book Xemnas would avoid when coming in here. Zexion placed his diary on the bookshelf where he had taken Ansem's book. And then covered the diary with the massive book. This was his hiding place. Nobody would look behind the book of the dead master.

Not even a second after Zexion took his hands off of his ingenious hiding place, he heard his name being called.

"Zexion!" came Vexen's voice. A corridor of darkness appeared directly behind Zexion, and stepping out of the dark corridor was one of the only people who had ever cared about him. The corridor vanished and Vexen snapped, "I knew I'd find you here." Zexion slowly turned around to see his friend staring straight at him. Zexion was still recovering from the surge of memories a moment ago, so he couldn't think of what to respond with. Vexen let out a small chuckle and said, "What were you reading?"

"Uh…" Zexion nearly gasped at himself. He _never_ started a sentence with "uh". Not even Vexen knew about his diary he had recovered from the castle of Ansem. "I was reading about the…the science of the heart. And how it's connected to the mind, soul, and body. How it's filled with a balance of light and darkness. How—"

"That's enough, Zexion," Vexen said, dropping a hand onto Zexion's shoulder. "I came here to discuss some new developments. I haven't told you this because I wasn't aware on how you'd react. I realized that because we are no longer our original, _human_ selves, we must drop all grudges we have had when we were still living. So I took the job Xemnas had assigned to me."

Zexion suddenly grabbed Vexen's wrist and removed the man's and. Zexion looked up at Vexen and said, "Which job was this, Vexen?"

"The Replica Program Project that Xemnas had assigned to me weeks ago," Vexen answered. "You had told me how much Xemnas had hurt us in the past and that I shouldn't do any personal projects that he would assign. But Xemnas so far _hasn't_ hurt us. Xehanort did." The name Vexen just brought up sent a quick surge of memories flashing through Zexion's mind. "I would like us to talk like we used to, but we can't do that if I am not completely honest or open to you. Follow me." Appearing behind him was a corridor of darkness. "I'm working on the project right now in the laboratory. I would…like you to see the progress I've made so far."

Zexion didn't know how to answer that. How long had Vexen been working on this project? What if this project hurt people? Zexion still held onto a shred of his humanity. He could tell that Vexen had his as well, but was fighting every instinct he had. When they were humans, Vexen hated preforming experiments on people and their hearts, but Xehanort had his hand in making sure Vexen completed the experiments. It hurt Vexen mentally. Zexion could tell. But this Vexen was different. This program was something used to replicate someone, obviously. What as Xemnas up to?

"Let's see it then, shall we?" Zexion answered, not finding any use to argue. Vexen's eyes lit up as he grabbed Zexion's wrist and yanked the boy into the dark portal with him. Before long they found themselves in the bright white laboratory. Beakers filled with Potions, Hi-Potions, Ethers, and Elixirs littered the desks and shelves along the walls. Two oval shaped pod-like devices stood against the far wall directly across from Zexion. A rectangular desk stood in the very center of the room with a sheet of blueprints sprawled out. Standing on the other side of the desk, examining the blueprints, was Lexaeus. "What are you doing here?"

Lexaeus looked up from the plans and stared at Zexion. "Observing," was his quick and simple answer. He looked back down at the blueprints and traced some of the designs with his gloved fingertip. The silent man seemed to be deep in thought.

"Am I to assume that you told Lexaeus about the Replica Program before me?" Zexion asked. Vexen didn't answer. Zexion quickly changed the subject by saying, "Those pods weren't there last I came in here." He pointed at the two pods side-by-side on the wall. "What is their use?"

"Let me explain everything," Vexen replied. "Even though I was given the order to test this Program out, Xemnas never gave me a specific target to replicate. So I dug around the ruins of Hollow Bastian. I found the strands of hair belonging to someone of great…importance, to Xehanort's Heartless half."

"Xehanort's Heartless?" Zexion asked, quite intrigued yet confused at what Vexen had just said. "What person could possibly be important to the Heartless of an already heartless man?"

"Though I haven't met the boy myself, I shall replicate him and find that out myself," came Vexen's response. The scientist walked over to the two pods and tapped on the one on the right. "My experiment is in here." On the side of the right pod was a keypad attached to the wall, which Vexen used to input a few number in. A light on the top of the right pod began to glow green. Vexen used the sleeve of his coat to wipe away the fog on the pod. Zexion walked to the pod in order to get a look at what was inside. Lexaeus followed his lead. Zexion peered inside the pod to see…someone in the black Organization's cloak. "The cloak of the Organization protects its wearer from darkness. So I placed it on the comatose replica to protect him while I finish creating him." The hood was over the replica's face so Zexion couldn't see who it was. "Everything is completed." Vexen put a hand on the pod and the fog seemed to disappear completely. He was absorbing the freezing temperature from within the pod.

"Why didn't you think to use yourself as the first replica?" Zexion asked.

Vexen answered, "I did think of that. Forty-four failed experiments." Zexion decided not to question Vexen any further. Vexen did anyhow. "It was a bad idea. Using my DNA I successfully cloned myself forty-four times. And because I strove to make them as perfect as I can, I made lots of mistakes. I discarded those experiments. This replica in here is of someone other than me, so I should not fail just because I want him to be just like me, like with the other ones."

The pod opened up. It seemed to melt into the ground. Zexion didn't question it. When the pod had completely vanished, the replicated boy stood there, seemingly staring into nothing. Vexen walked behind the boy and put his hands around the hood of the coat. He pulled it off the boy's hair.

Zexion saw the odd shoulder-length silver colored hair this fifteen-year-old boy possessed. Zexion bent down a little and stared into the glassy, out of focus aquamarine eyes, trying to detect signs of life. Zexion nearly gasped out loud. The boy didn't even look alive. "Vexen," he said somberly, standing up straight. He looked to the scientist behind the boy. "He's a failed experiment."

As soon as he said that, before Vexen could protest, the boy shook with a jolt and fell back. He would have fallen if Vexen hadn't caught him in his arms. Vexen stood the boy up again. Zexion was intrigued. A moment before Zexion couldn't sense life in this boy, but now the silver-haired kid darted his eyes back and forth, looking for answers.

"Why, hello," Vexen said in a kind voice, stepping in front of the boy and bending down to look him in the eyes. "I am Vexen," he said rather slowly as if he were talking to a child who did not learn to speak yet. "What is your name?"

The boy seemed to calm down a bit. In a quiet, whispered voice he muttered, "Ri-Riku." Zexion sighed with relief. The kid could actually speak! Zexion darted his eyes to Lexaeus to see what the silent man thought of the situation. Lexaeus showed signs of relief and turned around to study the blueprints once more.

"Ah, Riku, that's a wonderful name," Vexen said happily. "Can you tell me anything about yourself?"

"Did I not just tell you my name?" Riku answered. The boy was snarky. Vexen seemed quickly angered, almost snapping at the boy until Riku spoke again. "Uh…" For a second he seemed lost in a train of thought. "I don't…remember…OH!" Riku grabbed his forehead and fell to his knees. Zexion heard Lexaeus drop whatever he was holding because of Riku's sudden outburst. "Where's…Sora?"

"Sora?" Vexen asked. The man helped Riku to his feet. "Is he a friend of yours?"

"Don't lie," Riku said, looking up at Vexen. "How'd you get into my room? Did you kidnap me? Did you hurt Sora? Or Kairi?"

"What is he talking about?" Zexion asked Vexen. Lexaeus grumbled, showing his confusion as well. All eyes were on Vexen.

"I haven't the slightest idea," Vexen said, trying to comfort Riku by placing a hand on his head. "Tell me, does the name Ansem ring a bell?"

"Ansem?" Riku asked. "No! What kind of name is that?!"

"Where do you live?"

"You tell me! You kidnapped me from there." In one sudden movement, Vexen backhanded Riku in the face, leaving everyone in the room, even Lexaeus, stunned. Riku looked to the ground and muttered, "Destiny Islands."

"Destiny Islands," Vexen repeated. He looked to me and said, "The boy remembers two of his friends. Sora and Kairi. He remembers where he lives. Destiny Islands. He does not know who Ansem is. I'll have to work on him some more to find the rest of his memories."

"What are you talking about?" Riku asked. "Work on me?" Riku suddenly got defensive. He pushed past Zexion and Vexen and ran to the corner of the room. "Stay away from me!" In his hand appeared a demonic-looking sword. Zexion's first thought was the _Keyblade_. But as far as he knew, only Roxas and his human self were the only ones of late to own one. "Whoa…what is this?" Riku was confused. He had no idea what he was holding.

A corridor of darkness appeared on the wall directly across from Riku, and a flaming disk flew from the dark opening and slammed into Riku's chest. Riku yelped in pain and fell to the ground. "Are you _INSANE_!?" Vexen shouted out before he even looked at the corridor.

"I'd like to think so," came Axel's voice, and the redhead himself stepped out of the corridor and dismissed it with the wave of his hand. "Xemnas has eyes and ears everywhere. He got Saix to tell me to come get rid of _that_." With a finger he pointed to Riku. "Next time, try to create a _mindless_ replica that won't try to _ruin things_ , whatever that means."

"I think that attack was completely uncalled for," Zexion said in protest. Axel stepped away from the wall and pushed Zexion off to the side as he attempted to approach Riku.

Instantly, a wall of ice shot from the ground in front of Axel and slammed into the ceiling, blocking Axel completely. Vexen rushed to Axel and harshly grabbed the man's wrist. "You stay away from that experiment," Vexen spat. Vexen screamed out in pain as he yanked his hand away from Axel's wrist. Axel must have heated up his body temperature to the point where nobody could touch it without burning.

Axel put a hand to the ice wall and it melted to the floor almost instantly. "Superior's orders. Stay out of this." Axel continued walking to the replica against the wall.

"Who…" Riku stammered, his face going ghostly white. "Who _are_ you people!?"

"Drop the weapon," Axel said, and as commanded, Riku's weapon slammed against the floor, vanishing into a flurry of darkness as soon as it hit. He put a calming hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "Don't worry. Knowing Vexen, you won't be gone forever. You'll be back. Hopefully I don't have to do the same."

"Unbelievable," Zexion said quietly.

"You can't comfort somebody right before you kill them!" Vexen yelled out.

"Kill me!?" Riku said, gripping at the wall behind him for a way out.

"Now you've done it," Lexaeus spoke up.

Darkness blasted from the floor all around Riku, knocking Axel backwards, his head hitting the ground hard. Riku made a mad dash for the doorway leading out of the lab. Lexaeus sprung to action and leapt to the doorway, blocking the exit with his weapon.

"You're making it harder for yourself," Axel called from where he lay on the floor.

"Just _SHUT UP_!" Vexen yelled, fastly walking to Riku, who now stood blocked by Lexaeus. Vexen gripped the boy's shoulder. "I'll help you recover all of the memories that make you who you are. I'll be like a father to you. I want to know more about you, Riku. I'll keep you safe. Nobody's going to hurt you. Isn't that right, Axel?"

"That's right," Axel said. Vexen gasped. Axel was standing directly behind Vexen, pressing the spikes of his Chakram into the Chilly Academic's back. He lowered his weapon and pointed it to Riku. "I'll make it quick and painless."

"Vexen can take care of it," Zexion said, unsure of what to do. Zexion stood back towards the pod, staring at the scene unfolding before him. Lexaeus stood guarding the exit with his weapon, blocking off Riku who was right in front of him. Vexen stood behind Riku with a hand clutching the boy's shoulder, Axel behind Vexen with his Chakram pointed at Riku. Zexion couldn't do anything but try to talk them out of fighting over Riku. "Put the weapon down, Axel."

"Stay out of this!" Axel sighed in exasperation. With the drop of his head he finally said, "Fine. You win." His Chakram disappeared into a flurry of fire. Vexen took his hand off of Riku's shoulder. Something about this didn't seem quite right to Zexion. Axel never would have given so soon. Knowing him, he always has a trick or three up his sleeve.

Riku seemed to calm down. "Thank…you…"

"I'm really glad you chose to see things _my_ way, Axel," Vexen said with a smirk. "Come now, Riku. We have a lot of work to do." Vexen led Riku to the back of the room once again, passing Axel. Riku gazed to Axel but Vexen quickly pushed Riku forward so he would ignore the redhead.

"I really am sorry, Vexen," Axel said with fake sympathy. "But you do realize I always follow orders." That was it. Before Vexen could register what Axel had just said, before I had a chance to say anything, before Riku could even look back to him…Axel snapped his fingers. The area where Riku's heart would be exploded into flames. The fire raced up and down his clothing and danced across the boy's hair. Riku's agonizing screams echoed throughout the lab.

"What have you done!?" Vexen yelled out, but no amount of his ice powers diminished the flames. Darkness and fire engulfed Riku, and in seconds, he vanished into thin air, only a trail of darkness and glowing yellow sparks remaining. Lexaeus was speechless…well, he mostly always was. Axel put his hands on his hips with a triumphant smirk. Vexen dropped to his knees. "Why?" was all Vexen could say.

"You have forty-four clones of yourself, Vexen," Axel said, staring down at the scientist. "Making a few of these Riku replicas should be less than nothing." Vexen looked up at Axel with a scowl. "I told you. I really _am_ sorry. But to get in good with the Superior means having to follow a few dastardly orders. I hope you understand."

"Just leave," Vexen spat at him.

Axel laughed and replied, "Alright, alright, I'm going." Axel conjured a portal of darkness underneath his feet. "Oh, and Vexen?" Vexen shakily stood up and glared daggers at Axel. "I'm really hoping for the day I get to finish _you_ off."

Axel vanished. "Are you alright?" Zexion asked, stepping up to Vexen. "Do you need an aspirin—?"

"What I need is to create a new replica of that Riku," Vexen said, his frown slowly diminishing into a smirk of determination. "I will make the perfect replica. Just you wait and see."

Seeing Vexen this determined made Zexion smile. "I'll lend you all the help I can muster," Zexion told his friend. "Begin recreating Riku now?"

Vexen smiled. "Most definitely."

 **.**

 **How'd you like this chapter? It was fun to write. I revealed a lot about how the apprentices, Isa, and Lea became Nobodies, and then the point in time Vexen began developing the Riku replica. Review and tell me your thoughts!**


	4. Inspiration

**Inspiration**

Demyx sighed in exasperation as he strummed the cords of his sitar, trying to find the perfect melody for a new song. He sat at the edge of his bed, deep in thought as he strummed a few cords every five minutes, attempting to finish his first song since the day before he had become a Nobody. He was unsure of how late it was in the night. It could have been three in the afternoon on his home world, or two in the morning. Judging by how all of his fellow members had gone to sleep a couple of hours before, Demyx could tell that it was a little past midnight.

He strummed another few cords before throwing his blue sitar onto his bed in anger. He had lost his inspiration since the night he became a member of the Organization. The three other members of his band had died alongside him…except he was the only one to be brought back as a Nobody. Demyx remembered how scared he was to be kidnapped and taken to this castle. He studied the faces of each of the eight members before him, trying to recognize them as his bandmates. He did the same with the members coming after him. After the final member of the Organization was recruited, Demyx knew that his bandmates had not been spared as he had been. Since then, the overwhelming sadness in his nonexistent heart was too strong. He had always written music pieces with his bandmates. Without them, he was lost.

He picked up his sitar again, and strummed. He had tried to create sad music pieces…music to reflect how sad he was feeling over the loss of his friends. That didn't even work. He strummed his cords angrily until the door to his bedroom opened up, and the Organization's Number III barged in angrily. This caught Demyx by surprise, making him drop his sitar on the ground.

"Could you keep it down?" Xaldin asked angrily. "Some of us are trying to sleep. Isn't that what you like to do best? Sleep?" Demyx stuck his tongue out at Xaldin and picked up his Sitar, continuing to strum, ignoring Xaldin. "We Nobodies must sleep so that we can restore the power we've lost during the day. I highly suggest you start acting like one of us." Demyx didn't look up at Xaldin. He just continued strumming. Xaldin marched out of Demyx's room angrily, slamming the door shut.

Night turned into day. Not that Demyx even noticed. He was too entranced by his sitar, despite his inability to come up with anything. Demyx heard a knocking at his door and in walked Axel. On his home world, Demyx would consider Axel to be the popular guy everybody both loved and feared. He'd be the one who got all the girls. Demyx looked up at Axel and said, "Sup, Axel?" Axel was a lot closer to his age than most of the other members. Demyx felt somewhat more comfortable talking to the redhead. "You need something?"

"Saix told me to come haul your ass outta bed," Axel said, scratching the back of his neck as he yawned. Demyx could tell that Axel did not want to be here. Demyx took his eyes off of Axel and began strumming a few cords on his sitar before ultimately giving up in creating the melody he had been working on. "You haven't slept, have you?"

"How can I?" Demyx said, falling back into his bed, head hitting the pillow. He sighed and continued, "Six months. I've been here six months and I still have no idea why. Why was I spared? Why none of my other friends? There's nothing special about me. And why did Xemnas have to choose this thing for my weapon?" Demyx pointed angrily at his sitar. He never understood why, of all things, would his weapon be the very thing that linked him back to his old life.

"You know what I think?" Axel asked, sitting down on Demyx's bed and putting a comforting hand on the young teen's leg. "I think it's Xemnas's sick and twisted way of torturing us. He took away everything from us, and just to torment us further he gives us one thing to remind us of the life we could never get back."

Demyx sat up and pushed Axel's hand off his leg. "I just wish I could have one day to myself without seeing any of the other members."

"Maybe you can," Axel said, quickly taking the ninth member's hand and yanking him out of bed. Before Demyx could shout in protest, Axel continued, "Another reason I'm here is because we've been chosen as partners for the latest assignment. We're going to Twilight Town. I'll make sure we stay there extra-long so you don't have to be around any of the other members."

"And what about your friend…Roxy?" Demyx asked. He didn't know much of the final member who had only appeared weeks ago. The thirteenth was always quiet.

"It's Roxas," Axel corrected. "And don't worry; you're not taking his spot as my friend. He's on a mission with Marluxia right now. So, are you ready for Twilight Town?"

"Do we have to go check in with Saix first?" Demyx asked. He really did not want to confront one of the scariest members of the Organization.

Axel just laughed and replied, "Trust me; I'd rather choke on one of Xaldin's spears or be frozen solid by Vexen or even get turned into a Dusk by Xemnas. Saix and I aren't on the best of terms right now." After he said that he looked sort of distant to Demyx. Axel quickly snapped out of it and held a hand out, a corridor of darkness appearing in the doorway of Demyx's room. "You first, Demyx."

Demyx happily obliged, making his blue sitar vanish into the palm of his hand, and he dashed into the dark portal. He would want nothing more than to leave that terrible castle with all of those terrible people. Some of those people, like Axel or Roxas, weren't terrible. At least, not from what Demyx had seen. Demyx was never going to get used to flying through space within the dark corridors. It reminded him of the giant jumbo water slide he jumped into headfirst on his twelfth birthday. Except this time he wasn't getting soaked in water, and he probably wasn't going to fly out and get another concussion. The dark portal deposited him on his feet.

He had been to Twilight Town only once before—with Zexion—on his third day in the Organization. He was standing in the center of what the Twilight Townsfolk called the Sandlot. Axel appeared right behind him, the dark portal closing and vanishing into thin air. Demyx cocked his head to the side and told Axel, "So what's the mission here?"

"I'll worry about that," Axel said, using Demyx's head as an armrest. It was really frustrating how Axel was so much taller than him. "You said you need a break from the Organization? Well, until I'm done with the mission, you do whatever you want. Oh, and, not to offend you but, you're a little lazy and don't do much heavy lifting in any of your missions. Isn't that right?"

"I get it," Demyx said, putting his arms above his head in defeat. "You're just like all the others who think I'm just a pathetic weakling. Ha ha, very funny, Axel. You can return to the castle without me."

Demyx attempted to walk away in anger but Axel held him back. "Hey, hey, I was just joking!" Axel screamed back. "And you are going back with me. I'm responsible for you right now. If you don't return to the castle, Xemnas will—"

"Turn me into a Dusk?" Demyx snapped back. "Are we even sure Xemnas can _actually_ do that!? We've never even seen that happen before." He looked to the ground and sighed. "Look, Axel, just go. You don't understand. You don't understand anything."

"Demyx—" Axel started.

"I said _go_!" Suddenly a wave of water materialized out of the ground and slammed into Axel, sending him flying into the concrete wall behind him. The water vanished. Demyx held a hand in front of his face. He had never realized how powerful he could actually be. He walked to the fallen Axel and helped the man up. "I'm sorry, Axel…I was just upset is all."

"Nah, I'm sorry," Axel said, looking towards the sky. He changed the subject by quickly saying, "You wanted a break from the Organization. Now you got it. I have to go do recon at the mysterious mansion near the outskirts of town. Do whatever you want, but please don't run away. Xemnas will just find you. Trust me, I've tried running on the first few weeks I've been here." Demyx nodded. Axel gave Demyx a quick pat on the back before walking away, disappearing into an alley on his way to the mansion.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" came a voice from behind Demyx. Without turning around, Demyx started shaking, closing his eyes and biting his lower lip. He didn't recognize the voice. One of the things Xemnas and Saix had drilled into his mind was that he could not interact with anyone from any world unless it was part of a mission. "Are you deaf?"

Demyx quickly turned around to see someone he had only seen on his first visit to this world. _Seifer_. Zexion had told Demyx that Seifer was in charge of some sort of disciplinary committee. Demyx never understood what that even meant. "Uh, hey," Demyx said, trying to sound casual. It didn't sound casual.

"This place is my turf," Seifer said, putting a hand on his hip and scowling at Demyx. If this was Demyx's homeworld, Seifer would be considered the school bully. The guy everybody hates but for some odd reason they would admire and respect him. "Judging by those drab duds you've got on, I'd say you're an outsider."

Demyx raised an eyebrow. His first thought was: _Did he just insult my cloak?_ Demyx held a hand in front of him. He didn't want to make conversation with anybody. He was so tempted to summon his sitar, bash the living crap out of Seifer, and then run off hoping Seifer would have gotten knocked so hard that he'd have all but forgotten Demyx. Demyx quickly decided against that thought. Demyx remained silent, hoping Seifer would just walk away.

"Now I'm starting to think you really are deaf," Seifer said, getting into a strange battle stance, drawing a weird toy sword—which looked more like a bat than a sword—that was strapped to his back. Demyx couldn't believe his eyes. A toy sword. It looked pathetic. Even the toy swords in Demyx's world were pointy and sharp, but this looked like something you'd get out of a box of cereal. Demyx couldn't help but chuckle. "What? Why are you laughing?" In one leap, Seifer lunged forward and jammed the tip of his sword into Demyx's stomach.

It wasn't the foamy material of the sword that hurt Demyx. It was the force Seifer used to drive it into his stomach that sent Demyx to the ground. Demyx gripped at the ground and shakily got to his feet. Before Demyx could do or any anything to get out of this situation, Seifer slammed the bat into the back of his head, causing Demyx to fall again. Demyx couldn't reveal his powers or how strong he probably was, so his only option was to take the beating.

"Where do you come from?" Seifer asked, poking the foam bat into Demyx's chest to keep him on the ground. "You're face isn't familiar. I haven't seen you on the town roster. And your outfit..." Seifer pressed his foot against Demyx's chest to really keep the boy from moving. "Looks to me like you're nothing but a criminal."

"Criminal?" Demyx asked, chuckling. Demyx laughed at how even he recognized himself as _too lazy_ to commit crimes. Demyx got his game-face back on and quickly said, "Let me up, Seifer. I was just passing through." Seifer took his foot off of Demyx and allowed the boy to stand up. Demyx quickly said, "But wow, are you strong."

Seifer chuckled and Demyx thought he could see the faint tint of a blush appearing on his cheeks. Seifer liked being buttered up. That bit of information could help Demyx out somewhere along the line. "Thanks," Seifer said, lowering his sword. "But wait…how do you know my name?"

"Who doesn't know your name?" Demyx quickly replied. This made Seifer smile. Just as Demyx hoped. He was quickly making Seifer like him. Mission accomplished. "And listen, Seifer, don't be so quick to judge someone based on how they dress, or how different they are. If I wasn't skilled in combat, you'd have seriously hurt me."

"Skilled in combat?" came Seifer's quick reply. _Shit_. Demyx had said something he didn't mean to. This was not good. Demyx felt himself shaking again. He had to think of something quick. Before he could, Seifer tossed him his sword. Demyx raised an eyebrow. "You mind showing me just how skilled you are, newbie?"

Demyx stared at the toy weapon . He swung it through the air. It wasn't as light as he had originally thought it would be. Seifer picked up another identical weapon from the ground a few feet away. Before saying another word, Seifer leapt through the air, swinging his weapon. Demyx deflected it with his own almost instantly. Training with the Organization really did pay off.

"You really wanna fight?" Demyx asked, a little unsure. He'd always known he was lazy. People would say he'd never admit it, but truth is, even Demyx knew he was lazy. What changed today? Being away from the Organization had given him some time to think. What Axel said…made him furious. Truth was, he wanted to be a stronger member. He wanted the other members to respect him. He had to learn how to build confidence. Seifer nodded at Demyx's question. Demyx smiled and swung his bat, barely grazing Seifer's shoulder.

Seifer swung low at Demyx's ankles, tripping him and sending him falling on his butt. Demyx quickly got up and jabbed his weapon outward, hitting Seifer square in the stomach. Seifer backed away, breathing a little heavily and sweating. Demyx felt himself to begin to sweat himself. He wished he could cool down. Fighting was a lot of hard work. And then, just like that, Demyx felt something hit his head. Something wet. He felt his head and put his palm in front of his face… _water_.

Demyx and Seifer both looked up to see dark clouds forming in the sky. A few more drops of water fell down before it began to pour, soaking the two. "Whoa," Seifer said, stretching his arms out, tilting his head back and opening his mouth, allowing the rain to fall upon his tongue and face. "It hardly ever rains here. I love this!" Demyx chuckled at Seifer's enthusiasm towards the rain. Seifer held a hand out to him. Demyx was almost unsure of what to do with his hand, so he cautiously took it. "You know, you're alright, uh…"

"Demyx," Number IX replied with a smile, and the two shook hands. Demyx's mullet was dripping with water. He had begun to think that it was none other than himself that made it start raining. He knew he possessed the power of water. Conjuring rain wasn't too big of a stretch. "I don't know how often I'll be in town like I was today. But maybe when I am, we can spar together." Demyx always chose to be lazy whenever people would ask him to do something like going on a mission or finishing a task. But nobody told him he _had_ to do the things he did today. He wanted to spar with Seifer, if only for a short time. If nobody pressured him, maybe he wouldn't be as lazy.

"Well come to town whenever you want," Seifer said with a smile. He immediately frowned soon after and asked, "Who's that?"

Seifer pointed to behind Demyx. Demyx turned around to see a man in the Organization's cloak, hood shielding his face, running straight for the two. The man passed up Demyx and went straight for Seifer, slamming his fingers into the back of Seifer's neck. Seifer immediately dropped to the wet ground. Demyx was about to scream in protest when he saw the face beyond the hood. It was Axel.

Axel conjured a portal of darkness and shoved Demyx into it, jumping in behind him soon afterwards. Demyx felt the sensation of flying once again. The corridor deposited him and Axel on their feet with Demyx's bedroom. "What was that about?" Demyx asked, wiping the rain from his dripping hair.

Axel pulled off his hood, his red spiky hair drooping from being soaked in rain. "Well, I finished off the Heartless problem that was right outside the mansion. Didn't expect that Darkside to come and…you know what? That's not the issue here. Then it started raining. I _hate_ rain! You wanna know the weird part? I've gone to Twilight Town almost every day since my first day here, and not once had I ever encountered rain. You wanna explain something to me?"

"I might have caused that somehow, when I was fighting Seifer—"

"You fought him?" Axel asked. "You know how easily it could have been to expose yourself? You're lucky I arrived when I did. The Dusks floating around town could have reported back to Xemnas and then you'd have him to deal with." Demyx hung his head down, suddenly feeling ashamed of what he'd done. "I knocked out Seifer…let's just hope he'll forget all about this little mess."

"I'm sorry," Demyx said, plopping down on his bed and kicking his boots off. "But Axel…for the first time in six months…I actually had fun today. More fun than I've ever had in this stupid Organization."

"Have more _fun_ like that and I won't always be there to bail you out," Axel said. "I'd be afraid of Xemnas and Saix if I were you. Have a good night, Demyx. I'm tired." And with that, Axel left Demyx's room. The door closed softly.

Demyx picked up his sitar and started strumming. His heart was beating fast. He had actually made a friend today. Maybe even two, counting Axel. Axel was quick to give Demyx an opportunity to relax and stay away from the Organization, but immediately freaked out when Demyx met Seifer. Demyx never quite understood Axel. Then again, from what Demyx could gather, none of the members did.

After a few minutes, Demyx smiled as he began to create a melody. He repeated it over and over and over again. He actually liked the sound coming from his sitar. Demyx even started laughing as he continued strumming. He had never made anything sound half as good as this in six months. Everything that happened today…was his inspiration—not only for his music, but for giving him motivation to stand up and be stronger than anyone in this Organization says he is.

The door opened and once again, Xaldin barged in demanding, "Shut that contraption up!"

If this were any other day, Demyx would ignore the Whirlwind Lancer. But today was different. He looked up and into Xaldin's violet eyes and smirked. "You're just jealous because I'm better at playing music than you are." Xaldin stared back in shock. Demyx was pretty sure that Xaldin had never experienced backtalk from anyone other than probably Axel or Larxene. Xaldin probably assumed Demyx would be scared of a higher member such s Number III. Not anymore. "Now get out. You're trespassing on private property, Dreadlocks."

Xaldin growled, turned around, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut. For a guy who didn't want emotions to hold him down, Xaldin sure had a lot of anger. Demyx chuckled triumphantly and strummed away to his heart's content. He was really looking forward to his next visit to Twilight Town. He had to remember to thank Axel. Demyx got that thought memorized.

And so he continued playing throughout nightfall, passing out a little past midnight. He had his first good sleep since he'd gotten there—which is odd since he loves to sleep—and woke up early enough to get into the Grey Area before most of the other members. The only two in there with him were Luxord and Xigbar, who were too busy playing some card game to notice that Demyx was actually there. Demyx sat down on a surprisingly comfortable couch.

"Someone's up early," came the voice of the wicked witch herself. He looked up to the entrance to see Larxene stepping through, wearing a nightgown and rubbing sleep out of her eyes. Not long after, Axel stormed out of the hallway and into the Grey Area, pushing passed Larxene. "Watch it, Red!"

Axel ignored her and sat right beside Demyx on the couch. "I went straight to your room to see how you slept," Axel said, sounding out of breath. "But here you are…seven in the morning? What's wrong with you?" Demyx laughed at that. "Did you sleep good?"

"Yeah," Demyx replied, suddenly making his sitar materialize in his hand. "I finally found the perfect melody, the perfects song to reflect…myself. Here, listen." And Demyx began playing his music piece. Axel looked impressed. Luxord, Xigbar, and Larxene looked over to watch Demyx play. He continued playing as other members began walking into the Grey Area. Demyx smiled as nobody had told him to stop playing. Maybe he could learn to like it here.

 **.**

 **Did you like this chapter? So here we learn a little about Demyx, we share a few moments with he and Axel...sorry but I just love the idea of those two as friends. I know he could never replace Roxas but seriously. Also, guest starring in this is Seifer. Don't ask why I added him in. I needed someone, and he's who I picked. Get over it. Anyway, I hope the next chapter comes a little sooner than this one did. See you then!**


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